Reach the Beach Update!

Team TuTu survived the race! I couldn't be more thankful to EVERYONE who supported our journey along the way - from donations, phone calls, texts, emails, facebook statuses, etc I LOVE YOU ALL!

Staying 100% Paleo during our exciting adventure was nearly impossible - but I would say I came pretty damn close!

Thursday night was probably the HARDEST time to stay on track, but I planned ahead and DID IT! 

This is what everyone else ate...

This is what I ate...

I LOVE garlic bread...not to mention, there was salad with cheese and ranch dressing (thank goodness my AWESOME teammate brought extra salad stuff from anyone who didn't want cheese) plus lots of beer and M&M cookies!! 

Holy hell that was a tough night...but I stuck with my spaghetti squash, plain salad, and glass of Merlot. The glass of Merlot was a necessity just to relax my pre race nerves! I was runner 1, which means at 9:40am I was taking off and starting this adventure for Team TuTu!!

Let's just say I didn't sleep well Thursday night - it wasn't my bed, my team was also excited so not everyone wanted to go to bed early, and I was NERVOUS!!

I thought I would get up early enough Friday morning for a nice shower, relaxing cup of coffee and maybe some eggs and bacon...I woke up Friday morning to rush through a shower, enjoy a yummy cup of coffee, decorate our vans and shove some protein bites down my throat! Ok - so probably not the BEST pre race meal, considering I was about to run 8 miles...oh well!

Regardless of the the lack of sleep, improper hydration, and rather crappy breakfast...I survived crushed Leg 1 and still had a smile on my face when it was all said and done!

Starving was an understatement after my leg...as soon as I finished, I posed for a picture, took a phone call (ya...I know, who takes a phone call with in the first 3 minutes of running 8miles? THIS girl!) and grabbed a banana and my Justin's Almond butter and destroyed that thing, washing it down with a Vita Coco (one of our AMAZING sponsors!!)

Time to relax while my 11 AWESOME teammates did their things...throughout the afternoon, I snacked on some beef jerky and an apple until Van 1 was done and it was time for a "real" meal.

Muddy Moose here we come...while my teammates enjoyed a refreshing beer and some amazing looking pasta dishes, I opted for a glass of Merlot, a hamburger (no bun), and a side of steamed carrots (REALLY wanted the sweet potato fries!)

I was actually very happy with my choice - was still a little hungry after I was done, but glad I didn't cave! 

That beer looked really good though!!

All fueled up and ready for my big night run! And by "big" I mean 3.9 miles, in the dark, on little to no sleep - I crushed, survived my night run and was ready for some food and sleep!

I got one of the two...I gave up briefly on Paleo and made a turkey wrap, but I used an Organic Spelt Wrap - I am still not 100% what it is, but apparently it is better for you than bread or your typical wrap! I guess things could have been worse.

Can I sleep yet? No...still 5 runners to go, and unfortunately for a few of my teammates, their long runs were in the middle of the night! Those girls are so tough for hanging in and kicking some serious ass in the middle of the night to push our team along! We finally got to sleep rest our eyes and legs for a few hours around 3:00am. 

6:00am wake up call Saturday morning! I've got to run my final leg at 8:00am (4.5 miles) - time to fuel up with some coffee and food! Fortunately, the local fire department put on a breakfast for the runners - I was able to get coffee and a breakfast sandwich - another paleo "cheat" but I only ate half the English Muffin and none of the cheese.

I crushed survived barely finished my last run, it was by far my WORST - I was tired, hungry, dehydrated, and there were A LOT of hills. Who would have thought I would have run a faster pace on my 8 mile run than on my 4.5?!

Painful or not, I was DONE!!!! 

Not quite as happy and cheerful after this one...actually, as you can tell by my swollen eyes, there was actually tears! Pain and exhaustion won after this leg...

I was our team sponsor poster child during this last leg - I was rocking my Aspaeris shorts, my Bic Bands headband, Run Pretty Far arm warmers, and of course my team t-shirt designed by Chris Duhaime of Pivot Creative Management and screen printed by Blue Dolphin - everything was amazing and helped me get through this last run! Team TuTu Hot to Handle would not have had such a successful weekend had it not been for our amazing sponsors! 

This picture was taken BEFORE my final run, AFTER I had my coffee - I was still smiling at this point!

The rest of the day is honestly a bit of a blur - I know I snacked on some beef jerky and protein bites and a few carrots. We got to enjoy a much needed shower while Van 2 finished up there final legs and then we headed to meet them at the finish line.

Another Paleo cheat I couldn't resist - finish line beer! I own two t-shirts that say Will Run for Beer - I was tempted to cross it out and write Wine, but alas, my only option post race was beer, so I drank one!

Overall, it was an amazing weekend spent with amazing ladies, while we were all supported by our wonderful friends and family. I would not have changed a single thing about the weekend and am incredibly proud of myself and Team TuTu Hot to Handle!!

Congrats ladies! Looking forward to doing it with you all again in the near future!!